My tegus eat off a plate and I might as well give them a knife and fork
Animals, including snakes, and lizards---eat off the forest floor and get twigs--wood and other garbage into their systems all the time...yes. But does this mean we should purposely feed them on loose substrate?
Will wood and other sharp things pass through their systens in the wild? Maybe.
There's a chance they will and there's a chance the animal could have a blockage or a tear and die. Does anyone have the statistics?
Are there things perhaps, an animal can do for themselves when these things occur in the wild that they can not do in the confinds of captivity? Maybe.
With all these maybes---and lizards dying all the time due to impactions, paralysis from spinal pressure---and a host of other problems...why take the chance?
We are not trying to have surroundings identicle with nature in captivity. In nature many animals die needlessly. These are our pets---we try to keep them safe and eliminate whenever possible, anything that might shorten their life.
So do try and not feed them directly on the substrate. Because even though this time he will probably be fine---and people might say it's fine---what will you do when for you it's not and your animal needs some serious care?
